Yesterday, Equal Justice America brought together Summer Fellows, alumni and members of Chicago’s legal community for its 2026 Chicago Summer Reception, hosted by Miner, Barnhill & Galland.

The evening offered current Fellows an opportunity not only to meet one another, but to hear from attorneys at different stages of public-interest careers.

Among the speakers was the Honorable Maria M. Barlow of the Circuit Court of Cook County, herself an EJA alumna. Judge Barlow’s participation offered current Fellows a tangible example of the many directions a career rooted in public service can take.

Also speaking was Marian Woznica, EJA’s Post-Graduate Immigration Law Fellow at Legal Aid Chicago. Marian is serving a two-year EJA Fellowship in the organization’s Immigrants and Workers’ Rights Practice Group, providing another example of how a summer public-interest experience can develop into sustained legal advocacy.

EJA’s summer receptions are designed to strengthen the connections among current Fellows, alumni, mentors, legal aid attorneys and other members of the legal community.

Those relationships are an important part of EJA’s mission. A Fellowship provides an opportunity to serve clients and develop legal skills, but it also brings students into a broader community of lawyers committed to ensuring that access to justice does not depend on the ability to pay.

EJA is grateful to Miner, Barnhill & Galland for hosting the Chicago gathering and to everyone who helped welcome the 2026 Fellows.